History

The oldest mentions of Benedictine Monks in the region of Krzeszów appear in relation to a donation in favour of the Czech Benedictines from Opatowice. The donation of the land to the monks in 1242 by Princess Anna was to commemorate the death of Henry II the Pious during the Battle of Legnica. Unfortunately no exact information about the precise location of their settlement has survived. Researchers suspect that they could have resided in the area of the present-day village of Krzeszówek, in the close vicinity of Krzeszów. The only certified information comes from a document of 1254 stating that the future monastery shall bear the name of St. Laurent. In 1289, in vague circumstances, the proprietors decided to sell the land to Bolko I, the Duke of Świdnica and Jawor, who soon afterwards brought the Cistercian Monks there. The new settlers were brought from the Monastery of Henry II. In the beginning they occupied the buildings of the Benedictine Monks, but later they decided to move to a more comfortable place – the site where the Monastery stands to this day. The convent property was to increase in size  very quickly. In 1301 the abbey church became the place of burial of its founder and one of his sons. Soon the second son was to suffer their fate. The choice of dukes from the Piast dynasty was to be crucial for the church, as it was to become  the desired place of eternal rest for Silesian rulers and overlords.

The Cistercian Monks resided in the abbey until the secularization of the convent carried out by Frederic William III in 1810. During that time, as a result of the historical turmoil the monastery buildings were reconstructed many times. The oldest buildings date back to the second half of 17^th century. They were constructed after the Thirty Years War and the most tragic and devastating ransack and fire started by Swedish soldiers. The period of the monastery’s splendour falls with the superiority of Abbot Bernard Rosa (1660-1696). During his holding of office the abbey played a leading role among the other monasteries in Silesia. He managed to shore  up the economic standing and financial basis of the monastery. He was also known for his wide artistic patronage, bringing to Krzeszów many famous artists such as: Martin Shupper (the architect), Michael Willman (the sculptor) and Georg Schrötter (the painter). They are responsible for, among other things, the reconstruction of the abbey church, the building of the chapels of the Way of the Cross (their present appearance is a result of reconstruction effectuated in the 18th century), the Chapel of Loreto and the Chapel of Bethlehem. During this period  the Church of St. Joseph was also built in order to commemorate the establishment of the fraternity of St. Joseph. The authors of the wall and ceiling frescoes presenting the life of the  Carpenter Saint were: Willman and his stepson Jan Krzysztof Liszka.

The next wave of artistic foundations appeared under the supervision of Abbot Innocenty Fritsch (1726-1734), who ordered the building of a new church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in place of the old medieval church (only one medieval chapel was saved and incorporated into the transept of the new building). A considerably large number of builders worked on this project. The project design and sculpted decorations were commissioned from a famous sculptor Ferdinand Maxmilian Brokoff. During the construction of the new temple  another building was also erected in order to commemorate the founders of the abbey – the Piast Mausoleum. Also the chapel of St. Mary Magdalene with the final Station of the Way of the Cross was added to the church. At the beginning of the Silesian Wars between Austria and Prussia the then abbot, Benedykt II Seidl, left Silesia and went to the Czech lands. He took with him the miraculous painting of the Gracious Mother of God, which had belonged to the monastery since the beginning of 14^th century. This contributed to a reduction in the number of pilgrimages and the decline of the convent’s importance and status. Seven years after the signing of the peace treaty, the architect Johann Georg Feller prepared plans for a new monastery building with two courtyards. The southern wing and a part of the eastern wing were erected. Unfortunately the building work was stopped and the construction remained unfinished. After its  secularization the abbey church became merely a parish church. The library was liquidated. In 1820 the Cistercian Monks left the monastery. The dissolution of the convent contributed to the further devastation of its historic buildings.

 Almost a hundred years after these events, in 1919, German Benedictines, resettled from Emaus in Prague, arrived in Krzeszów and established a priory which soon afterwards was elevated to the rank of  abbey. At the same time the  new arrivals became the proprietors of the occupied land. Numerous activities performed by monks aided the monastery’s recovery. In the inter-war period many restoration works were carried out to restore the old Cistercian buildings to their former splendour. The tented roofs of the towers of St. Joseph's church and the abbey church were reconstructed and the roof of the Mausoleum was repaired. Restoration works included also those buildings of the monastery complex, the frescoes and sculptures placed on the frontage of the church and a repainting of the miraculous image of the Gracious Mother of God. Furthermore, in 1935, seven new bells were cast. However all these works were to come to nothing, for during the  World War Two the monastery was occupied by the Nazis and transformed into a camp for displaced persons. Immediately after the war the monastery was plundered many times. Also the majority of the Benedictine monks of German descent were forced to leave the convent. The Brothers moved to Bad Wimfen on the Neckar River.

 On 31 May 1946 the Polish Benedictines were resettled from Lvov and took up residence in the monastery. They brought many works of art salvaged from their former place home. One of the brothers who stayed in the monastery became their chaplain. Nuns reside in the abbey to this day.